Free for All
by paranoidaspatchwork
Summary: Cali Finch, british recruit too skilled to waste, ends up in easy company. Fear, love and friendship to follow. Rated K so far will probably end up as T or M.
1. Chapter 1

ok so here's my first go at this story. yeah i know its the same story as everyone else uses (girl in Easy)but hey its a good story. Another chapter on the way soon hopefully depending on what work I have to do grrr lol it will get more exciting but ive just gotta lead up to it lol bye xx

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"I'm scared," she whispered as if revealing a deep secret. Richard lay awake, staring at the bunk above him,

"Everyone's scared," he'd rehearsed the line over and over. Tomorrow was D-Day, the big jump, and he was just as scared as she was; perhaps more; but she couldn't know that. Cali turned over to look down at him.

"What's the time?"

" Six hours now quit asking."

Cali sat up and looked across the barracks at the rest of the men, only a handful was asleep. Hoobler and Webster were playing poker and from the wad of notes in front of him it looked like Webster was winning. Eugene Roe a medic watched the game whilst checking his med kit for the hundredth time. Captain Lewis Nixon sat on his bunk drinking nothing but Vat 69 staring hollowly at the wall. Nearby Bull smoked thick cigars filling the air with a heavy mist. Bill Guarnere paced from one end of the room to the other, every lap he did the hallway seemed to shrink making him more and more frustrated like a caged animal.

"Will you stop that you're stressing me out!" Liebgott snapped at Bill. He was twitching impatiently and jumped up. The two men sized each other up, Liebgott seeming tense and wiry against Guarnere's solid stance.

"Sit down both of you," barked Bull, though he equalled Bill in rank he was well respected and both men slumped back to their bunks. Sgt. Malarkey gazed absent-mindedly at the scene quietly listening to the highly-strung platoon. This was not how it was meant to be, the glorious heroes, preparing for battle high-spirited and confidant. Instead they where scared men sitting in a damp dark room, waiting for and yet dreading sunrise. Cali withdrew all her thoughts deep into her and tried to collect her emotions, she couldn't. She was 21, sent to 501st Airborne on request of a C.O saying that she had no talent for office work but her combat skill and marksmanship was not to be wasted. They had managed to justify her place saying she was officially a medic she was just given a rifle. Cali sat up finally accepting her insomnia and slid of the bunk. Richard had finally drifted off to sleep, she examined his face, and he looked so young it just made it all worse.

Outside the air whipped around Cali, she pulled her trench coat tighter around her sitting on the step. Fumbling in her pocket for cigarettes she flicked the lighter on. The door creaked behind her and Malarkey stepped out joining her on the floor. The wind blew the lighter out and Cali gave up returning it to her pocket. The two sat silently and watched the blood red sun pour over the horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

The plane rattled on through the wind whilst Cali sat frozen to her seat. She winked cheekily at Guarnere breaking his anxious trance she turned again to face Winters who gave her an empathetic smile. The guns sounded in the distance and almost everyone looked up shaking. For the first time it hit Cali that not everyone in the company was going to walk out of this, that some of the faces she looked at now she would never see again. The plane bounced along throwing everyone around in its tin belly. Suddenly the green light flashed on and they began pilling out the door. Cali was third as she jumped she could hardly breath.

"Get up get up we gotta go!" Lipton knelt over Cali and shook her shoulders. He dragged her to her feet as Cali began to move, she yanked off her harness and tore away into the undergrowth behind Lipton just as a hail of machine gun fire was let loose towards them. Cali ran and ran until the ground disappeared beneath her feet. She stumbled forward down into the gully, branches scratched at her and she took cover against the bank. The fire seemed to subside until all she could hear was the distant boom of anti-aircraft guns. Cali pushed her helmet back from her eyes and glanced and Lipton who had no weapon.

"Ok?" was about all she could muster at the time.

"Yeah you? We need to get the DC fast." He crouched down moved along the bank.

"Flash,"

"Thunder." Two men appeared out of the trees.

"Able company," the first addressed Lipton abruptly.

"Where the hell are we?!" Cali exclaimed a little louder than planned.

"Shhhhh, what was that?"

"Get down both of you" Lipton pushed them to the floor.

It was Winters and a young solder from Dog company. Cali waded across the icy river as they where getting there bearings on Winters map.

" That means a lot of walking,"

"Lets go then," she cut in impatiently.

"Move out," was Lipton's reply and they all filled into formation and began to follow the river along.

Cali's feet hurt, her pack was uncomfortable and she could barley see her hand in front of her face. Only now did she realise that her boots didn't fit properly and all her cloths seemed to be made out the itchiest fabric known to man. The Able company lead signalled for them to halt. Cali swung round as Guarnere appeared beside her. Malarkey and Joe Toy followed him. She was so relieved that under different circumstances she could have kissed them all.

They continued along until the faint sound of hooves and German voices stopped them in their tracks. Winters organised them and they all chose some cover near the bridge, the hooves grew louder. A horse drawn cart rounded the corner carrying around 6 soldiers singing loudly. Winters raised his hand and Cali took aim, her heart was beating so loud that she was surprised to German couldn't hear it. Suddenly a flash of light and roll of gunfire erupted from where she knew Guarnere was. Others followed suit and the Germans scrambled off the cart. They where cut down instantly and the horses screamed in terror rearing and inevitably hit by stray fire. A grenade blew the cart apart and survivors where picked off in the rally of fire. Guarnere fired and fired until his gun was completely empty. Cali stopped firing and he tried to reload.

"That's enough Guarnere!" Winters grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around. The two men glared at each other until Lipton moved the men onwards down the path. Just as they started to relax the bridge collapsed under an explosion. Diving for cover Cali dragged Guarnere into a ditch. All went quite the two crouched motion less and silent.


	3. Chapter 3

The smell was what Cali sensed first. That think, heavy smell of burning wood. Then the sound of leaves crinkling in the inferno. She forced open her eyelids and watched her vision dance in front of her focusing and slowly forming more than a confused blur. Twitching her fingertips she felt heat lick them and noticed he feet had begun to heat up, suddenly realising the reality of her situation she tried to push herself up from her elbows, the pain was excruciating. Letting out a short yelp she fell back down shuddering to her very essence from the minor thud hitting her spine. The heat was spreading up her legs and intensifying. Cali's painful breaths shortened trying to take in anything but smoke, her chest convulsing with the distaste of the fumes. Trying to scream her voice came harsh and weak. She forced the little air she had out of her lungs trying to produce some noise, any noise. Nothing. Again nothing. It seemed her whole was grasped by smoke and heat and she began to smell a new fear, burning rubber, her boots where singing around her feet. Suddenly she let out a torrent of noise, as if all her attempts had suddenly been unleashed. There where rustlings nearby; voices of panic then suddenly hands grasped her by the waist and pulled he upwards; dragging her across the cool grass away from the nightmare. Cali's vision continued to bounce around refusing to focus on any single point, her head pounded and her throat rasped. But she was there in one piece, alive. Looking up at her saviour she saw red hair, painted face, Captain's stripes. Her lid fell closed and she drifted off away from the flames.

It was revealed that the cart had been carrying explosives of some sort and a stray bullet had set it off. Three men had died and two where wounded. Cali woke in the back of a truck that had just pulled to an abrupt stop. She was shaken, looking around she saw familiar faces who slowly noticed her weary eyes and pounced upon here with a thousand "hey there you are", and "'bout time you woke up isn't it hey." Great. Shaking off the stiffness Cali put weight on her legs and attempted to scramble out of the truck, bad idea. She would have fallen flat on her face if familiar hands hadn't grabbed her just in time.

" Thanks sir but I'm fine,"

"Yeah and you look a million dollars," the sarcasm was sharp but not harshly intended. Winters surveyed the soldier's swaying stance, blinking she looked almost drunk. How was she ok? Why was she ok? Questions swam round Cali's head deluding her senses.

"Why don't you just come and sit over here for a while?" the sweet inviting voice of Richard Winters made it impossible to protest and Cali was gently coaxed into the awaiting arms of an abandoned café chair. So there she sat staring blissfully into safe green eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

The town that the company had chosen to rest at was small and almost abandoned save a few settlers seeking refuge from the ever raging war that had engulfed their world. Everything looked as if its previous occupants had simply turned to dust leave café tables and chair set out, shop display windows still preserved a way of life that may never be recaptured in this sleepy French town.

Cali noticed the sky glowed a deep glistening red to the east, I couldn't be morning already…could it?

Winters noticed her quizzical stare and made to approach her on the bridge, he was checked by Nixon.

"Watch yourself,"

"What?!" Winters was surprised he even needed to ask

"just saying….ah its nothing," Winters could see that Nixon was loving this just a bit too much, a mischievous smile had crept across his face and he could no longer hide his joy at perceiving the conspiracy that had been playing on his friends mind.

"Trust the intelligence officer to rat me out," Winters smiled, in some way he enjoyed that him and his old friend could share a secret that had no official secrecy papers to sign. That however did not subtract from the fact that any feeling he may have for Cali would have to be quickly quelled. He was an officer and any such relationship would be completely inappropriate and could find them both in serious trouble. Still…. No...

Cali left the glowing sky after deducting that the red ambiance was not due to any sun springing forth, but the low rumble of heavy artillery in the distance. She strolled through the street of the misty town, taking in the life that was. Balconies overlooked the narrow cobbled streets, smoky cafés and bars sat silenced and empty, her sister had moved to a similar French town many years ago. She had married and settled down, something Cali had never imagined herself doing. Cali had moved from place to place, job to job, never really finding a place that she belonged. Perhaps her job here was simply the latest in a long line of flings, but something felt different.

A sharp shrill whistle pierced the crisp air; Cali jumped in her boot and locked on the source of the sound.

It was Malarkey, his wolf whistle had taken her by surprise to the amusement of Bill, Lutz and Webster who chuckled and choked on cigar fumes. Malarkey signaled her over and she perched on the arm of his chair, the boys had evidently found the bars cellar ad helped themselves to beer and port. She took a swig of the port that ran through her mouth like a fire and stung her dry throat.

"Eaaaasy girl…. Save some for the rest of us hey?" Lutz jibed, Cali responded with a sarcastic glare and took another swig, the night was early and she had no intention of another sleepless night.


	5. Chapter 5

Cali woke to the sound of truck engines and shouted orders, she opened her eyes to see Lipton staring down at her, and it seemed she had not moved from the bar she had ended up in last night. She turned to find that she had fallen asleep in the arms of Malarkey. This didn't look good.

"Get up," Lipton did not seem to want to be angry; he appeared more amused but needed to show zero tolerance.

"We roll out in 10. MOVE!"

Cali got up and nudged Malarkey, he grumbled and ignored her, Bill had ended up slumped over the table. Webster was nowhere to be seen but Lutz took over form Cali's feeble attempt to wake Malarkey by firmly kicking him in the legs and toppling the chair he slept on. He was not, to say the least, too amused. Cali brushed her hair from her face with little affect only to meet the look of Winters who quickly turned his face to the moving trucks.

Cali had bagged herself a trip on the tanks for her late morning, no one ever wanted to go on the tanks, especially when moving into any unknown area. They were the first thing the Germans tried to shoot. At least it was not raining or cold.

They trundled along the dusty road approaching a similarly deserted town to the one they had left in the morning; the afternoon sun heated the tanks and made them hot touch. Some about the town made Cali sit up, something in the air seemed too still, the Lieutenant ordered the convoy to stop, walking ahead to survey the town. He just walked out, in the middle of the road, Bull gave Cali a sharp look, what was the man doing?

Cali flinched as a click broke the silence; the Lieutenant was on the floor; engines roared as the tanks moved into play and the men scattered to the sides of the road. The lieutenant writhed on the floor as the German machine guns opened fire, he was hit in the leg, and no one went to get him, why had no one moved. Bull shouted at his men to move forward, most of them froze to the spot. Many had never seen real action before.

Cali, frustrated, ran out to the road. Bullets danced about her feet and whizzed past her face, she grabbed the shoulders of the soldier's jacket and started to drag him across the dust. Her feet slipped as she battled against his weight and flailing limbs, blood was spilling out of his neck, covering his chest and face. Cali pressed against the wound but could not stop the flow. Something stung her face and she fell backwards, the lieutenant collapsed on top of her as they tumbled into the gully at the side of the road.


	6. Chapter 6

Doc Roe had his hands full; he had two chest wounds and one soldier his taken a mortar hit to the entire right side of his body. There was little hope for him now. Roe's training dictated he should concentrate on those that had more of a chance, but he hated doing nothing.

"Medic…Medic!"

The cry was barely distinguishable over the gunfire and engine noise. Roe instructed the nearest soldier hope to staunch his comrades bleeding chest and ducked and bolted his way along the road. He tried to determine where the shout for help had come from, there were very little men still in this area of the road, and most had been led into the shelter of the town but Bull and the other CO's. Something was in the gulley ahead. A fresh faced man stood back from the mass, his pale face locked in a stunned expression. His gaze flickering from the town ahead, back to the pile at his feet.

There was a lot of blood.

Roe reached for the Lieutenant's neck to feel a pulse, he felt nothing. He dragged to body aside to reveal Cali's face; blood smeared across her check and soaked her clothes. He grabbed her shoulders and tried to drag her from under the lieutenant as she shook into waking.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

Roe gazed back in astonishment

Cali exhaled deeply and fell back onto the embankment,

"I think it just caught me."

There was a deep red line across her cheek; the bullet has glanced across her catching her unawares and sending her head first into the gulley, the lieutenant tumbling after.

"You've got 9 lives girl," Roe let out a laugh that surprised him.

"Seem to be using them pretty quick though," Cali couldn't quite believe her luck either.

She looked up at the young soldier that stood over her, his face now fixed upon the Lieutenant's body; he never should have gone so far ahead.

He wasn't safe to stay so close to the road, Cali made her way towards the town in search of Bull or any of the others.


End file.
